Sermon and Worship Resources

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776. The Things Which Remain When All Is Lost

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Eulogy

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... just like she is now." He thought a minute and said, "Oh, you know you don't mean that. You would not want her to always be like she is now. The next time you see her she will be the person God designed her to become. She will be perfect in every way -- in love, in knowledge, in hope." And, I say to you, the next time you see ____________ she will be ...

777. Wave The Flags

John 10:10 · Luke 12:48

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... one to whom much is given, of him will much be required." (Luke 12:48) Now, the abundance of things is not necessarily the same as an abundant life. True living comes from following Jesus. How do we find true life in Jesus? First, we see his sinless life, his perfect example. We can let the white stripes on the flag remind us of that. Also, in Christ, we see that we have a way of having our sins forgiven. We can let the red stripes stand for the life he gave for us. If we can look at the things ...

778. Zero

Ephesians 6:7

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... wisely. We need to prepare ourselves for what we know is coming. Secondly, if you did the best you could and still received a zero, what does that say to you? It says: "No one is perfect. We all miss the mark in some area of life. No one can excel in everything." It may be hard to admit to yourself that you are not perfect, but it can also be a rewarding experience. It can help us come closer to God who will guide us as we seek to make life better. Finally, we must ask: "Does this zero disturb me ...

779. Epiphany 2

John 1:43-51, John 1:35-42

Bulletin Aid

Richard F. Bansemer

... passive innocent little lamb -- my Lamb of God. Unlike a lamb, you are forever being bold, demanding, unyielding, sure of the Father's will for you and us, truly a Son of Man, the Son of God. Lamb of God, Son of Man, how persistently you seek to make us perfect lambs of God. I try not to know that ...

780. Advent 1

Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... schedules and flow-charts and budgets. But matters of the spirit do not lend themselves to schedules, flow-charts and budgets. So, waiting for the kingdom is hard for us. Clearly, Lord, we have some growing to do. Your timing has been perfect in the past and it will remain perfect in the future. Take our worldly impatience and transform it into a sense of spiritual anticipation. Help us to realize that the best way to help for your kingdom is to participate in it as it unfolds all around us. Amen.

781. Easter 3

Luke 24:36-49, Psalm 4:1-8

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... of them in the strength you have given us in the church. We are of the same humanity that repudiated the suffering Messiah. We are of the repenting community whose sins are wiped out. We need to know you more truly so that your divine love may come to perfection in us, through the Spirit of the Risen Christ. Amen. DECLARATION OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS Hear the Good News! We have one to plead our cause with the Divine Parent, Jesus Christ who is just and the remedy for the defilement of our sins, not our sin only ...

782. Transfiguration

Mark 9:2-13, Psalm 50:1-23

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... glory. Reveal your gracious glory again in the face of Jesus Christ and in the works of his body the church. Amen. PSALM 50:1-6 The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: "Gather to me my faithful ones, who ...

783. The Set Face And The Turned Head

Luke 9:51-56, Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

Larry Powell

... noble and highly commendable. However, if all we are committed to is the formality of making the commitment, we are, as someone expressed it, "a bluster, a bluff, an empty show." A good case could be made for the claim that our generation is the perfect example of what happens when commitments are neutralized or largely ignored. Can you think of another time in history when the "everyone for himself, grab-what-you-can-now, get out of my way" attitude has been more prevalent? We are dangerously close to the ...

784. So Close ... But Yet So Far

Luke 9:10-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

... 2) in the knowledge that God blesses our lives and can transform circumstances. Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2)." (3) remembering that God is able to use what is available and use it abundantly. Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10)." (4) to experience Christ's presence, Jesus said, "Where two or ...

785. Know What Time It Is!

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... -bent on persecuting Christians. That is, until he caught God's attention. The Holy One decided that with all that get-up-and-go he would be a good point man for the church. Saul was renamed, "Paul," and the rest is history. Kingdom vision is a perfect 20/20. Similarly, the Christ of the gospels does not change us, he renames us. That is a crucial distinction. He does not do away with our sinful natures. He simply renames our neuroses and calls them "gifts." Our idiosyncrasies, after all, are what make us ...

786. A Fireside Chat

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... appears to be supreme self-confidence, "Here I am." This is the response of a man still in control of his own life. Moses has lived long enough to believe himself fairly capable. Things have always worked for him in the past. He's a self-made man; maybe not perfect, but others have done far worse than he. Of course, if we'd ask Moses (as we must also ask ourselves), he might have confessed that he maybe could have done better, but he is certainly not "all bad." Many of us would conclude the same: we are not ...

787. Sight And Insight

John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... a healed man who was suffering human isolation and condemnation. But, he had a friend in Jesus. APPLICATION Relevance Of Revelation 1. When we deal with vision, we deal with every person, for everyone was born with two eyes. Physical vision may not be perfect. There is near-sightedness and far-sightedness. Some must wear glasses or contact lenses. Without them people are often helpless to read or work. Partial blindness is a handicap. Total blindness is a life of darkness in spite of the fact that there are ...

788. No Need For Weeping Anymore

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Erskine White

... losses and sorrows of our lives: we take all the guilt upon ourselves, as if we are to blame in every instance for being less than perfect. "If only I had done such-and-such with my child; he wouldn't have turned out like he did. If only I had seen the ... have a spiritual foundation holding up the rest of your life which neither time nor trouble can erode. No, you're not perfect, and yes, you still have your share of difficulties and disappointments in the world, but when you believe in the Resurrection of ...

789. Come The Judgment Day

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Erskine White

... of Your mercy. Help us to know Your forgiveness when we fall short of Your ways. Lift the burden of our failiures and guilt, that we might start again on a cleaner, purer path. Make us perfect in effort, if not in result, that come the Judgment Day, we may throw ourselves upon Your mercy with perfect confidence and hope, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen 1. This story and the quote from Solomon Blatt appeared in The Washington Post, "The Four Men Strom Thurmond Sent to the Chair," (April 26, 1981).

790. Is It God's Will?

Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

Erskine White

... limited in what He can do. Rabbi Kushner asks his readers: "Can you forgive and love God even when you have found that He is not perfect? Can you learn to love and forgive Him despite His limitations?"2 This is not the answer either. The Bible says we are made in God ... may make the most of whatever path liesbefore us. And keep us from doubting our faith in You, O God, that we may be perfected and not weakened by the crosses we must bear in life. God of all grace and Lord of all worlds, we also pray today for ...

791. Easter 6

John 14:15-31, Psalm 67:1-7, Acts 15:22-35, Joel 2:18-27, Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... one woman said to the other. "He has given 25 years to the service of young people, and church people shouldn't throw all of that away." I suspect that, if one were to hear a number of people give their opinions on the matter, it would be perfectly obvious that there was a serious conflict in the parish. 1. So it was in Antioch. "That sort of thing doesn't belong in church" is too simplistic a statement, because there was an honest difference of opinion there, which had to be resolved rationally, not just ...

792. Proper 19

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7, Psalm 51:1-19, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Hosea 4:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16, 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... unworthy of claiming the love of Christ for himself, but he also was aware of the real nature of the God who loves people, forgives their most heinous sins, and claims them for himself once again in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Because he had experienced the "perfect patience" of Jesus Christ and had come to love him as Lord, Paul was ready and able to give the "immortal, invisible, the only God, honor and glory forever and ever." Luke 15:1-10 (E, L, C - RC, short form); 15:1-32 (RC, long form) The ...

793. Proper 26

Psalm 65:1-13, Psalm 145:1-21, Psalm 32:1-11, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, Haggai 2:1-9, Exodus 34:1-28, Isaiah 1:1-31, Luke 19:1-10

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... persecution was unable to separate them from the love of Christ. But persecution isn't our problem, is it? Just what is our problem, or problems? 3. Theirs was a splendid congregation, but it wasn't perfect, and that makes us more comfortable, doesn't it? Paul wanted them to know that none of us, who comprise the church, reaches perfection in this life. "The best is yet to be." 4. And that's why the parousia is necessary, the time when Jesus will come again and usher in the eternal kingdom of God, and all ...

794. Easter Sunday

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... . And that's why we're here. And to our critics, we ask, why do you stay away? II. The Release from our Phoniness. Despite our play-acting, God releases us from our phoniness. Someone has said, "God loves us Christians, not because we are perfect; God loves us because we are God's. Conclude with words similar to these: "... daily Christ calls us to new life/love/truth/goodness/mercy/peace. Alleluia! He is Risen! Then, conclude with a litany between pastor/choir: from Herbert Brokering's, Uncovered Feelings ...

795. Straight Talk, Due Process and Grace

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

William J. Carl

... next: either total loss of enthusiasm and withdrawal, maybe a little sabbatical to regroup and re-evaluate or more church hopping, ever in search of that ever elusive, “perfect” church or, with some, it’s complete abandonment and a return back into the more predictable secular world. I never cease to be amazed at how perfect some people think the church is supposed to be. Presbyterians particularly shouldn’t be so naive. After all, we believe in the depravity of humankind. It’s good Calvinist ...

796. The Still Small Voice

1 Kings 19:1-8

Sermon

Steven Burt

... deep and penetrating that you can hear it. You can hear the silence. No cars, no planes, no voices, nothing. Just silence. “The sound of fine silence.” Sometimes God comes to us that way -- in the perfect silence. Our intellect tells us no, but our experience tells us yes. Sometimes God comes to us in the perfect silence. But EIijah is dejected, depressed. He has allowed his work load and his woes to become magnified, and he’s fallen into the trap of the cave mentality. He has begun to wallow in self ...

797. Home And Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

James Garrett

Columnist Erma Bombeck tells of a Supermom who is perfection itself. She did everything right: kept a perfect home; kept her husband happy. Always had a copy of Bishop Fulton Sheen’s latest book on the coffee table, and answered the door pregnant when the priest came by. One day, I asked her how she did it, and she said, “I emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary,” and I ...

798. Teaching About Revenge And About Loving Enemies

Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... . 8: For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 9: And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? 10: Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is ...

799. Paradoxes Of The Christian Faith

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... on! Tomorrow comes the song! Claiming victory through defeat is like the eagle who turns the storm cloud into a chariot: An eagle sits on a crag and watches the sky as it is filling with blackness, and the forked lightnings are raging up and down. He is sitting perfectly still ... until he begins to feel the burst of the breeze and knows the hurricane has struck him. Then he swings his breast to the storm and uses the storm to go to the sky. Away he goes, borne upward by it. That is what God wants of his ...

800. African-American Spirituality: The African's Gift To America

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... Chicago, once observed that the university is not a very good place, but it is the best there is. Some might say that of America. For some, America may not be a very good place. But it's the very best place on earth. America is not a perfect place, but there is no better place. There are some things I do not like about my country: its racism, its hatred, and its injustice; the way it throws away its old people and idolizes youth. I disdain the polarization of human groups around issues which ultimately have ...

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